Welcomed Belonging

There are some people that we seem to keep at arms length. Still others that we keep even further away. We do this in our own flesh and blood families and with people in our sphere of influence such as coworkers, store clerks, wait staff at our local watering hole or diner, etc. We even do it with people in the church. But this isn't how we are commanded in scripture to act as men and women of God. As followers of Jesus, we are to draw close to others that share in our faith in Jesus. So much so, that we not only consider them to be brothers and sisters but even more so thatn our own flesh and blood. We are to draw close to them and live in community with them even if it means that our own flesh and blood rejects us. Jesus himself said that he came to pit family members against each other. (Matt. 10:34-39) The church and the members that make up its body are to become more important to us and hold a higher value to us than those we call family or friend outside of the church. This can be difficult to do especially considering people who are different than us. We find it easier to only gel with those that look, sound, act, and think like us. When others come into our fold that are from different backgrounds or walks of life, who maybe are used to doing things a different way, or they see things through a different set of lenses – we tend to hold them at arms length. This should not be. We should not only accept them but go out of our way to make them feel at home with us. Consider these thoughts as you read over the story of Onesimus in the one page book of Philemon.